Height and Weight, Not the Only Way to Sail Fireballs

15th June 2011

Afloat.ie Team

Height and Weight, Not the Only Way to Sail Fireballs

Fireball pre-worlds Day Two: The committee boat recorded winds for most of the day around the 18/19 knot mark from the SE. However, on the way out to the start it was blowing in excess of 20 knots and during the racing gusts of around 22 knots were recorded. The SE is an offshore direction so the seas were reasonably flat.

Another two excellent races were set by the Race Management team with screaming reaches – some two-sailed – and a more acceptable length to the windward leg. Yesterday morning's first race had seen very long beats but the RC took the appropriate actions to restore proper order both yesterday afternoon and today.

The first start today saw a leading candidate for victory capsized to tweak his rig, some others lost a minute in the countdown which led to a rather untidy start for some. However, the same group who had enjoyed early success on the water yesterday were to the fore again – the Scotts, Butler/Oram, Jospe/Egli, Grant/Butler, joined by Miller/Mulligan. Schulz/Bowley came from behind after tweaking their rig to join the fun and games at the front of the fleet.

Sailing fast and low, the Aussies gradually hauled in the others, who to that stage had been led around by Butler/Oram. Andy & Derian Scott sailed another stormer to show off the fact that height and weight are not the only way to sail Fireballs in a breeze.

Behind these three came Grant/Butler, Jospe/Egli and Smyth/Bradley.

Race 4 of the regatta was held in similar conditions with the Scotts and Smyth/Bradley going hard left to the fleet's various degrees of right. The left paid with Scotts rounding the first weather mark in first, followed by Smyth/Bradley. The Aussies broke through halfway down the first reach to take second initially and Butler/Oram closed the gap to third at the leeward mark. Up the next beat, Butler/Oram got away and Grant/Butler, Jospe/Egli and McCartin/Kinsella closed by the 2nd weather mark. McCartin/Kinsella got through but a split between either side of the course, left versus right, kept Smyth/Bradley in 5th at the 3rd weather mark. Ahead of this group, Schulz/Bowley had gone into first, followed by the Scotts and Butler/Oram.

No sooner had the fleet got ashore than the wind started to build. Sligo this evening is wet and wild, but a great day's racing has been had by all.

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Fireball: 60 years of history

Designed in 1962 by British naval architect Peter Milne, the Fireball is a two-person dinghy with spinnaker and trapeze, combining simplicity of construction, high performance and accessibility. Over the years, it has been a training ground for generations of sailors, developing skills in tactics and technique, and producing champions who later moved on to Olympic and offshore challenges. More than half a century later, it remains one of the most vibrant and passionate classes, also thanks to initiatives such as the Under 25 category, designed to engage new generations and keep the tradition alive.

At A Glance – Fireball Dinghy Specs

Crew 2 (single trapeze)
LOA 16 ft 2 in (4.93 m)
Beam 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
Hull weight 175 lb (79 kg)
Mast height 22.3 ft (6.8 m)
Mainsail area 108 sq ft (10.0 m2).
Jib / Genoa area 35 sq ft (3.3 m2).
Spinnaker area 140 sq ft (13 m2).